Report: Quakes to hire USMNT assistant Luchi Gonzalez as next head coach originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The San Jose Earthquakes have reportedly found their next head coach.
USMNT assistant Luchi Gonzalez is set to take over the managerial duties at the club beginning next season, according to MLS reporter Tom Bogert.
Gonzalez will remain with the US team through the duration of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar which begins Nov. 20. He will take over the post during the offseason.
The 42-year-old had previously been the manager FC Dallas from 2018-2021 before leaving for the USMNT role. The Toros had qualified for the playoffs every year except in 2021. Before that, he served as the team’s academy director from 2012-2018, where the U-17s and U-19s squads won two championships each.
Prior to his coaching career, Gonzalez made eight appearances with the Earthquakes in 2002. Afterwards, he played for two teams overseas before returning to the MLS in 2005 to suit up for the Colorado Rapids. That stint lasted just one season, and he left to play for teams in the NASL and USL.
San Jose is looking for a fresh change after it continued its up-and-down trajectory from the last few seasons. It qualified for the postseason in 2017, missed out from 2018-19, bounced back in 2020 and is now facing another rejected campaign. The Earthquakes are currently in second-to-last place in the Western Conference with a 5-9-11 win-draw-loss record. They have nine games to play.
Earlier this season the team parted ways with manager Matías Almeyda and named Alex Covedo the interim head coach.